About the organisation

Who Cares? Scotland is a national voluntary organisation, working with care experienced young people and care leavers across Scotland. Our registered charity number is SC 026076.

We value all those who have been a part of our journey over the past 40 years, as members of our family and our network. In response to the changes to UK data privacy laws which came into effect on 25th May 2018, we are making some changes to our policies on information handling, with the aim of giving you more control over how your information is used and how you are contacted.

Our values and principles are at the heart of all we do and underpins the changes we have made to make sure we protect any personal information you share with us. These include;

To ensure that Who Cares? Scotland is valuing the children, young people and adults we work with; the views they have, the information they share and the trust that they place in us

To respect the rights of care experienced people – especially in relation to their identity and their views

To give specific regard to the legal status of an individual’s care placement, and their age and stage.

Personal information we collect about you

Personal information is any information that can be used to identify you, including your name and contact details.

The type and quantity of information we hold about you and how we use it will depend on the purpose for which you provide it. Purposes for which you might provide us with your personal information include: to receive advocacy, join our membership, register for our fun activities, groups or events, fundraise for us, volunteer with us, or help create positive change by influencing policy and practice alongside us.

Personal information is any information that can be used to identify you. So, for example, if you donate money, request services or become involved in our campaigns, we may collect and process the personal information that you’ve provided. We may also collect information from you if you complete a survey which we use for research purposes.

We may also collect details of your involvement with our organisation, for example your attendance at our events and activities and resources that you access. We use this to provide you with the information and services that you are interested in and are most relevant to you.

Our website also uses ‘cookies’ to track visits on our site. These are small files which a website sends to your device, to make a website remember you when you visit. These are designed to improve your experience of using a website and also help us to understand how many visitors we receive, and how they are using our site. We use this information to make our website as easy for you to use as possible. If you prefer not to allow this, you can adjust your browser settings.

Sensitive information

You may share sensitive information about yourself for example, details of your care experience and placement, a health condition and emergency contact number. This information might be necessary for us to collect and record for a number of reasons – for example if we are providing you with advocacy, you are participating in a fundraising event, or if you sign up for our annual summer camp. You might also provide details of your experience of being in care, if you choose to share this with others.

Where we hold sensitive personal data, we will ensure we have your consent to do so, and have adequate processes in place to make sure this information is kept securely. Even if you have consented to sharing some sensitive or personal information (for example your story or a particular experience), we will seek additional verbal consent from you before this is shared so that you know how the information will be used, what audiences will see it, and if you want to change your mind about sharing it.

Your decision on confidentiality of your information will be respected at all times.

Children and young people in care

We will ensure, where we hold personal data of children and young adults in care, that we are clear about the reasons for holding this and we respect their right to privacy. If a young person is under 16, and in certain circumstances under 13 and wish to get involved with our work, we may need to ask for permission from a parent, guardian or responsible adult.

Your rights

You have a number of rights relating to the information we hold of you. This includes:

to see what we hold about you

to ask us to share it with another party (e.g. service provider)

to ask us to update incorrect or incomplete details

to make a complaint

to ask us to delete the information we hold about you

If you make a request relating to any of the rights listed above, we will consider each request in line with all relevant data protection laws and regulations. We will not charge an administration fee for considering and/or complying with such a request unless the request is deemed to be excessive in nature. We will however, need to verify your identity before we respond to your request or query.
You can make a request relating to any of the above rights, by emailing mydata@whocaresscotland.org

Our advocacy work

Our professional, independent advocacy is a core service we provide to children and young people in care. We work one on one with a young person to help them have a say in what is happening to them. We strive to provide advocacy that helps young people feel respected, included, listened to and understood.

Why we need your information

In order to be able to support young people the best we can, we need information about them.

The personal information you give us may be used in a number of ways, for example:

to identify if advocacy is needed

to make sure that the support we provide is exactly what the young person wants of us

to safeguard the young person

to get feedback on the service we provide

to understand if our advocacy service is available to all who need it (personal information will be anonymised and presented through statistics, in a way that cannot be linked to you)

How we collect your information

We collect information about you from different people, for example;

directly from you

from your carer, friend or other individual who has sign-posted you to us

from other Who Cares? Scotland regional offices

from your social worker, school or local authority

from other organisations that work with and support children and young people in care

We will only collect information about you that is relevant / needed for us to support you through advocacy. It is important therefore, that this information is correct and up to date.

Who we might share it with

We will not share the information you give us with anyone else, unless we believe you or others might be at risk. When we do so, we will let you know that we need to do it.

How long we will keep your information

We will keep your information for as long as you have a relationship with us in line with good practice and government recommendations for a period of 75 years.

Our membership

Who Cares? Scotland is a membership organisation – owned and governed by care experienced people. It is also an organisation that is anchored by the support of thousands of people who have rallied around us to build a movement of change.

Why we need your information

We want to provide you with the best possible membership experience – whether you have signed up as a Family member or a Friend.

The personal details you share with us when you voluntarily sign up as a member, will be used in a number of ways:

to let you know about opportunities to come on board our campaigns or guide our activities

to send you our quarterly newsletter and a birthday card (if a Family member)

to understand the make up of our membership (your personal information will be anonymised and presented through statistics, in a way that cannot be linked to you)

It will be up to you to decide how you want to be contacted by us, and we will ask your preferences on what you are most interested in. This way we will ensure that we contact you about what you want to know, in the way you prefer.

How we collect and use your information

We collect information about you, directly from you. This is when you subscribe as a member – either online through our website or face-to-face through our membership forms.

Who we might share it with

We will not share any identifiable personal details with anyone outside of who Cares? Scotland.

How long we will keep your information

Your information will be in our records until you unsubscribe from our membership.

Our influencing activities

Who Cares? Scotland undertakes a range of public facing work with care experienced people. Together, we lead the way in changing the look and feel of care in Scotland by raising the profile of issues faced by care experienced people.

Our influencing work may involve writing blogs for the website, featuring in a magazine or newspaper article, delivering training or public speaking. Before coming on board any of these activities, we will ask for specific consent from the individual taking part. The consent process will include:

asking you to positively opt-in to the work you will be doing alongside us

giving you the information you need to make a choice about your involvement

explaining the different ways we will use your information and story, and who may be able to access that information

provide a clear and simple way for you to tell us you agree to different types of public facing / media work

if and where necessary, seeking consent from a responsible adult

Why we will seek your consent

We will ask for specific consent for media work because this work is public facing, and we want to offer individuals real choice and control over what they do. Consent will help us in many ways, including;

build a trusting relationship between yourself and WC?S based on up to date information

help you understand any risks involved in public facing work, and give you a choice over what you want to do alongside us

make it easy for you to withdraw consent, and tell you how

let you know how we will support you throughout your work with us

How long we will keep your information

As with any media or public facing activity, once shared externally, that is with funders, on the Internet, social media, etc., the information that is provided will be difficult to remove. Therefore, we will talk this through with you and make sure you are aware of any risks before any of the information goes live.

Our participation activities and groups

Some of the many benefits of joining our network of Family members is being able to come on board the wide range of groups, activities and events we organise for care experienced people across Scotland. These events and groups are set up to create a space for fun and friendship with people who have similar or shared experiences, and helps everyone feel understood, respected and included.

Why we need your information

We want to provide you with the best possible experience – whether you have signed up for a national event, summer camp, or as a member of a group.

The personal details you share with us when you register for our activities will be used in a number of ways:

to keep you up to date with the event or group you have signed up for

to support you at our events and activities, and keep you safe

to get your feedback on the event or activity you were a part of, so that we can make our activities even more exciting for you

How we collect and use your information

The information we collect about you will come directly from you, when you register for our activities. If a young person is under 16, and in certain circumstance under 18, and wish to get involved with our work, we may need to ask for permission from a parent, guardian or responsible adult.

Who we might share it with

We will not share any identifiable personal details with anyone outside of who Cares? Scotland.

How long we will keep your information

We will hold on to the details you give us in the event registration form until one week after the end of the event. If you are a member of a group (for example, Care Council or a Champion’s Board) we will hold on to your information until you decide to leave the group.

Fundraising for us

The generous and untiring efforts of our fundraisers and donors to help us secure a lifetime to equality, respect and love for care experienced people, is never underestimated by us. Our fundraisers get involved in different activities throughout the year to raise funds for a better future for care experienced people in Scotland.

Why we need your information

Whichever way you wish to fundraise for us, we will support you along the way with information packs, encouragement and help, so you can raise the target you set yourself.

The personal information you give us may be used in a number of ways, for example:

to make sure you are fully supported throughout your fundraising activity

to thank you

to let you know how your donation has contributed to our work

How we collect and use your information

We collect information about you directly from you.

We will only collect information that is relevant for us to support you in your fundraising activity. It is important therefore, that this information is correct and up to date.

Who we might share it with

Occasionally we might need to share your details with third-party organisations for reasons such as to process direct debit or to obtain a Gift Aid. We might also share your information with your permission when a fundraising event is organised by a third-party organisation. We work exclusively with third-party suppliers who we have a contract with.

How long we will keep your information

We would like to send you information about further fundraising opportunities, news and events that Who Cares Scotland runs, which may be of interest to you. You have a right at any time to stop us from contacting you for marketing purposes. If you no longer wish to be contacted for marketing purposes, please let us know by emailing mydata@whocaresscotland.org

Volunteering with us

Our volunteers support all of our work, enriching and enhancing the experiences of our young people by bringing their skills, experience and personality to our movement.

Why we need your information

We want to be able to support you right through your volunteering journey with us, from the time you start considering volunteering with us, through to when you are working alongside us and care experienced people.

The personal information you give us will help us do this in a number of ways;

to help us keep in touch with you about volunteering opportunities

to process your volunteering application and check eligibility to support our work with care experienced people

to inform you of training opportunities, news, activities and events

to invite you to our meetings, events and volunteer nights

to get feedback on your volunteering experience

How we collect and use your information

We collect information about you directly from you.

We will only collect information that is relevant for us to support you in your volunteering activity. It is important therefore, that this information is correct and up to date.

Who we might share it with

The information you provide will be shared internally with Managers involved in the volunteer recruitment process. We may also share this information with external parties who are involved in the recruitment process, such as joint funders or commissioning partners.

We will verify the information you provide on your application form with your given referees.

During your time volunteering with us, you may choose to share your story or photograph by contributing to our magazines, blogs or reports. We will seek specific consent before we share this with anyone outside of Who Cares? Scotland.

How long we will keep your information

Many of our volunteers take a break between their volunteering activity and re-join the team when they are able to do so – this could be months or sometimes years. Your information will be held in our records until you tell us otherwise, or formally leave your volunteering role.

Applying to work with us

Our staff are one of our key assets and we want to be sure that we recruit the right people to join our team. When you apply to work with Who Cares? Scotland you will provide us with a large amount of personal information.

Why we need your information

The information you provide during the recruitment process is used for the purposes of considering your application for employment.

How we collect and use your information

We collect the information about you directly from you.

We only collect the information that is relevant and necessary to allow us to make selection decisions.

Who we might share it with

The information you provide will be shared internally with managers involved in the recruitment process. We may also share this information with external parties who are involved in the recruitment process, such as joint funders or commissioning partners.

We will verify the information you provide on your application form with your given referees.

How long will we keep your information

If you are unsuccessful in your application, then any information you provide during the recruitment process will be held on file for a maximum of six months following completion of the recruitment process. This allows us to respond to any requests for feedback or further information related to the recruitment process. After this period all information will be securely destroyed. If you are successful in your application for employment, we will issue you with a further privacy notice detailing how we deal with your personal information as an employee.

Keeping your information safe

We collect and process your personal information adhering to legislation and good practice. We also utilise mechanisms, systems and processes to protect the information you share with us.

Our systems and networks are maintained by a third-party company, which oversees its security and monitors its activity. In order to ensure the highest level of security, we regularly check activity on our internal databases to ensure best practice and compliance with security controls.

We also regularly carry out reviews of who has access to information we hold to ensure that only appropriate staff, volunteers and contractors access it.

When we use external companies to collect or process your data on our behalf, we carry out comprehensive checks to ensure your data is safe and is not compromised.

When we use external software or companies, we check their compliance with legislation to ensure appropriate security controls are in place.

In certain circumstances, for instance, where there is risk to you or others, we may need to disclose your details if required to the police, regulatory or statutory bodies.

We will only share your data in other circumstances provided you gave us consent to do so.

Our lawful basis for processing your information

We collect, use and store the information you give us in the ways described above, because this information is necessary for us to carry out our services to you. We will be processing your information under one of three lawful bases:

Legitimate interest: when providing you with the services and support you request of us, such as advocacy and participation work. This also includes the wide range of activities we offer, through which you come on board to our movement to create a lifetime of equality, respect and love for care experienced people.

Consent: when you share sensitive information with us, or come on board to our public facing activities, we will seek specific informed consent, which you may withdraw / revoke at any time by contacting us.

Contract: in order for us to fulfil our contractual obligations to you, for example, as an employee or volunteer.

If you wish to find out more about the lawful bases and how they relate to the ways in which we handle your information, see here.

Contacting us

For further information on how your information is used, how we keep your information safe and confidential, and your rights to access information we hold on you, or if you wish to file a complaint, please contact please let us know by emailing mydata@whocaresscotland.org

Or writing to us at the following address:

My Data

Who Cares? Scotland

5 Oswald Street

G1 4QR

This privacy notice was last reviewed on May 25, 2018. It will next be reviewed on November 25, 2018.

With thanks to Scottish Local Authorities and funding partners, who make our work possible

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